PRECIOUS THINGS TREASURED
by deetatarant
Summary: Part of the 'precious things' series.....


**PRECIOUS THINGS: TREASURED**

**Owen**

It had cost him nearly four thousand pounds. Not that that had mattered at the time. The only thing that had mattered was her answer and the look on her face when she saw it. Owen had always known how to impress the ladies, but this one was special; his beautiful, brilliant and wonderful Katie. Katie was the one, the woman he would spend the rest of his days with, have babies and be buried with. Simple really. They would have everything, be untouchable, be magical and be happy. Owen had been the luckiest man on Earth.

Like all fairy tales, it came to an end and there was nothing happily ever after about it. The engagement ring had been slipped from her finger and stuffed into his pocket right before she had gone into surgery and miraculously it was still in his pocket when he finally found the clothes he'd been wearing that day. The ring had gone back into its box after that, initially with the thought of selling it to rid himself of the memory of her. But that memory was too precious, that one perfect moment in his life when he had seen pure joy and love because of something he had done. It was one of the last times that her eyes had shone as bright as the stars and Owen couldn't bare to let that moment go. So, he kept the ring and on his darkest nights he would take it out and hold it against the lamplight of his bedroom and see her sparkling eyes shining back at him for just the briefest of moments. He would smile and quietly thank her before putting it away again.

**Jack**

It took a lot to make Jack turn his head and really look at another person. It wasn't that he was shallow or didn't care, sometimes he just didn't want to look too deeply for fear of what he might see there. Most people couldn't meet his look anyway. They shied away intimidated by his handsome face, and total lack of inhibition. Jack knew that he could terrify the toughest and most hardened of people with his disarming grin or fearsome temper. It saddened him when sometimes they even backed away from his kindness and compassion. Over the years he had grown accustomed to it, to the isolation it afforded him and eventually he had even come to welcome it. Sometimes though he just wished that someone would really look at him and see the human he really was and not the immortal leader of Torchwood Three.

Ianto Jones was that some one. The painfully shy, graceful young man had faced him down. Ianto Jones had stood there with Jack's gun in his face and defied him and looked him straight in the soul through his tears and his anger. Ianto Jones had come to recognise the human even before he'd met him. At first it had terrified Jack to be vulnerable to such knowledge, to be seduced and used by it. Ianto had never backed down though. The young man blushed under Jack's gaze, but never looked away and Jack was fascinated by the contradiction, it drew him in and forced him to rediscover his own humanity. Those incredibly beautiful blue eyes held his gaze every time their glances met, occasionally it was followed by the faintest of smiles on the young man's pale face and a slight reddening of the cheeks when Jack chose those moments to touch him. What Jack treasured the most was the fact that he found himself looking at people again and seeing them for who they really were too and he was pleasantly surprised by what he found.

**Toshiko**

Since joining Torchwood Jack had been quite clear about the level of contact she was allowed to have with her family. Jack had lied through his teeth to UNIT and told them she'd remain in virtual isolation from the outside world. The reality was a different story. She saw her mother and her grandfather every week. Jack had had them moved to Cardiff especially for her to make sure she got to see them. 'Family is important' he had told her. Tosh was very happy because when she saw them she was able to forget about her unrequited love for Owen and put aside her worries about the next alien incursion. Tosh could sprawl on her mother's couch and chatter away in her native tongue to her hearts content. These times gave her an anchor to the real world and made her appreciate just how important it was to be protecting the world she lived on.

**Gwen**

Rhys? Jack? Rhys? Love them both, madly. God, Jack so mysterious and handsome, like a fantasy. Rhys safe and home. Home. Yes home the place I will always come back to. Home.

**Ianto**

Ianto Jones was a man of few words and even fewer needs. Unfortunately the things that he craved the most he rarely got. Too often the ones most important to him were taken by death and he was left alone in a material world he neither understood or cared for. Everything was inconstant, because each day something new would come along and change and the world he lived in, messed with his order and turned it all into chaos. Ianto needed order, it was the only thing that enabled him to cope with the madness of his life. Routine was his middle name, whether it be the precise order in which he made everyone's coffees or the rigidly methodical way he removed his clothes before going to bed. Of course since meeting Jack that little act of precision had turned into a game that normally culminated in Jack ripping his remaining clothes off when he lost patience with the routine. Ianto wasn't certain how well the Hub would be run without his constant tidying and organising. One week he'd been sick with some dodgy alien flu and it had taken more than three days to clean up the aftermath. He was grateful for such a messy team of colleagues. Without their total lack of respect for things like bins and the dishwasher he'd be bored in less than a day. The stress of not being able to tidy would probably give him a stroke. Ianto knew that while he was keeping Torchwood neat and clean, the others would be out there saving the world and coming back to a warm comfy Hub with a fresh brew waiting for them. Gwen and Tosh would smile, Owen would snipe good naturedly and Jack…well Jack would reward him later. These routines neatly established padded Ianto's world with comfort and security, the like of which he hadn't had since childhood.

**an: thanks to everyone who has been reading my stories...'Silent witness' will be finished soon...still having trouble adding chapters so am writing the whole thing up as one complete piece! This one is part of my 'precious things' series.**


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